How to spot a ‘rare’ £10 note and the serial numbers that could be worth hundreds

IT’S not just rare rare coins that could be hiding in your purse.

You might be lucky enough to hold a rare £10 note, which could sell for multiple times its face value.

You will want to pay attention to the note’s serial numbers as this will tell you if you’ve got a rare one.

These numbers can be found on the side with the Monarch’s face, just under the £10 value in the corner of the note.

If you find the serial number on your note is quite quirky, then it could be even more valuable.

That’s because these notes are highly sought after.

For example, one seller bagged £3,600 after spotting a specific serial number relating to the year Jane Austen was born on one of their notes.

What are the rare and valuable £10 notes?

You may not always fetch such large sums of money for a rare bank note but its still worth checking.

It will depend on what collectors are looking for as some are willing to spend more than others.

The £10 notes with AA serial numbers and also £5 notes with these numbers could earn you big amounts.

Interestingly, as the £10 note is slightly larger, there are 54 notes per printing sheet compared to 60 with the £5 note.

This means millions of AA combinations could potentially crop up.

How can you tell if your tenner could make you thousands?

The Bank of England launched its £10 note featuring Jane Austen in 2017.

At the time changechecker.com revealed its predictions for the notes that everyone would be keeping an eye out for. 

Serial numbers for each note are key – you can find these numbers on the top left of the face with the late Queen’s image. 

This is just under the £10 value in the corner of the note. 

ChangeChecker.com said that the serial numbers you need to look out for are: 

• The serial numbers 16 121775 and 18 071817 as they represent the author’s date of birth and death.
• The serial number 17 751817 as it’s her birth and death combined
• The serial number 28 011813 as it’s the date when her most celebrated novel, Pride and Prejudice, was first published.

Jane Austen notes are not the only ones that might be popular with collectors.

You should also keep your eyes peeled for James Bond 007 notes and AK47 notes.

Consecutive numbers such as AA12345 are also well sought after.

Depending on what they are looking for at the time, some collectors will part with serious cash for the right note. 

Which notes will never enter circulation?

Every time the Bank of England issues a new note, it donates an important low serial number to those who were involved in its development. 

For example, when the £5 note was launched, the Churchill War Rooms received a note with the serial number AA01 001945, the year that World War Two ended.

And the Queen was given a note with the serial number AA01 000001 – the very first of its kind. 

How can you make money from your rare note?

You could make thousands of pounds if you find a rare note.

The £5 note with the lowest serial number available to the public – AA01000017 – sold for £4,150 at auction in October in 2016.

Since then some plastic fivers have sold for thousands of pounds on eBay.

Meanwhile, a £5 note was sold for £16,000 in October 2023.

To check if your notes are worth anything on eBay, tick “completed and sold items” and filter by the highest value.

It’ll give you an idea of what people are willing to spend on notes but keep in mind that yours is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. 

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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